A breakthrough study published in the journal Nature reports that scientists have successfully created baby mice from two male mice.
While this technique may offer future possibilities for human reproduction, experts caution that it is still far from being proven safe in humans.
The innovative strategy involved transforming skin cells from male mice into induced pluripotent stem cells, which have the ability to develop into various types of cells or tissues. By treating the stem cells with a drug, the researchers were able to convert them into functional female egg cells. The eggs were then fertilized and implanted into female mice.
Only 7 out of 630 embryos resulted in live mouse pups — the animals appeared to be healthy and able to reproduce normally.
“It’s a very clever strategy,” says reproductive expert Diana Laird, “but no one knows whether it would work for humans.”
While the achievement is significant, further research is necessary to ensure the safety and effectiveness of this method for human reproduction.
